The present invention relates to a drum foot pedal apparatus in which a frame and a heel can be firmly fixed to improve stability during a performance.
In a conventional bass drum foot pedal apparatus, a beater is pivoted to strike a drum head upon depression of a foot board. A typical conventional bass drum foot pedal apparatus has a structure shown in FIG. 5. A foot pedal apparatus 1 comprises a substantially C-shaped base 2a placed on a floor surface, and a pedal frame (to be referred to as a frame hereinafter) 2 consisting of a pair of right and left columns 2b and 2c. A pivot shaft 3 is pivotally supported between upper end portions of the right and left columns 2b and 2c. A rim of a bass drum (not shown) is fixed to the base 2a by a hoop clamp 13. A rocker 4 is fixed on the pivot shaft 3. A beater 6 is mounted on the rocker 4 through a beater rod 5. A front end 8a of a foot board 8 is connected to the rocker 4 through a belt 7. The front end 8a of the foot board 8 is biased upward by a return spring 12 for applying a pivotal force to the pivot shaft 3 in a return direction. Therefore, the foot board is normally held to be inclined at a predetermined angle, as shown in FIG. 5. A front end 8b of the foot board 8 is pivotally connected to a heel 9. The heel 9 is connected to the frame 2 through a connecting rod 10. The return spring 12 is disposed along an outer side surface of one column 2c of the frame 2. The upper end of the return spring 12 is connected to an end of the pivot shaft 3 through a cam plate 11, and the lower end of the return spring 12 is locked by the column 2c.
Upon depression of the foot board 8, the belt 7 is pulled downward, and the rocker 4 is pivoted together with the pivot shaft 3 against the return spring 12 in a direction indicated by an arrow A. Therefore, the beater 6 strikes the drum head.
In a conventional drum foot pedal apparatus 1 of this type, the frame 2 is connected to the heel 9 through the connecting rod 10. The connecting rod 10 has a spring property. The rear end of the connecting rod 10 is detachably inserted in a through hole 14 formed in the frame 2. In a connecting structure of the frame 2 and the heel 9 through the connecting rod 10, the connecting rod 10 tends to clutter in the through hole 14. In addition, since the drum foot pedal apparatus 1 itself is lightweight, the foot board 8 and the heel 9 tend to float during a performance, thus posing a problem on stability.
Another conventional drum foot pedal apparatus is proposed to solve the above problem. In this apparatus, a stabilizing plate is disposed under the drum foot pedal apparatus 1, and the connecting rod 10 is clamped between the stabilizing plate and a mounting plate screwed on the stabilizing plate. According to this method, since only part of the connecting rod 10 is clamped, stability of the drum foot pedal apparatus 1 is insufficient. During a performance requiring frequent depression of the foot board, the drum foot pedal apparatus clutters. In addition, when the mounting plate is removed from the stabilizing plate, the components are separated from each other and may be lost.